Sunday, 23 December 2012

Women in Men's Cologne

Despite having about ten full-size perfumes and a million samples in my possession, I am always on the look out for a new perfume. Over the past few months the idea of wearing a men's cologne has intrigued me and I have begun a search for the perfect cologne to wear.

I definitely don't want to end up smelling like a teenage boy who has sprayed himself with an entire can of Axe, but there is something about the musky, spiciness of men's cologne that is, well, undeniably sexy--and potentially even more so when unexpectedly worn by a woman! Many women often sprtiz themselves with a dash of their boyfriend's or husband's cologne--but why stop there?

An easy way to get your hands on samples of some colognes to see what you may like, and what will smell good on your skin is to pick up the vial-sized samples--for example, when I've been placing orders on Sephora.com, I've added the men's cologne options as my samples, rather than the feminine scents I world normally opt for. Alternatively, there are a number of websites that will allow you to buy fragrance samples in varying sizes. One thing to bear in mind is that all scents, whether they are targeted to men or women, eau de toilette, eau de parfum, or cologne, they will always smell different once they interact with your body chemistry than when sprayed onto one of those cardboard testers you find in stores--so it's important to actually test run scents prior to purchase.

The colder winter months seem like the perfect time to wear cologne--I fear that even lighter, fresher colognes would be overwhelming during spring and summer. I'll cross that barrier when I come to it, but in the meantime here are a few that I have been enjoying:

Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur

Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur
This scent is warm and oriental, and I absolutely adore it! My nose isn't sophisticated enough to pick up individual notes, but research tells me that Musc Ravageur features notes of lavender, bergamot, cinnamon, sandalwood, vanilla, and cedar. A full size bottle of Musc Ravageur is quite pricy, but I am so enamoured with this scent, I think I will take the plunge once my sample (which I have been stretching out as much as possible) runs out. 50 mL for $165.00 at FredericMalle.com.

Tom Ford Grey Vetiver

Tom Ford Grey Vetiver
As the name suggests, vetiver is the key note in this fragrance, along with some woodiness and citrus. To me, this is a sophisticated, but not overbearing scent--the citrusy elements keep it light enough for women to wear, as well as men. 50 mL for $90.00 at Nordstrom.com.

Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gio

Acqua di Gio Pour Homme
I am a fan of Acqua di Gioia, which is Giorgio Armani's female companion fragrance to Acqua di Gio, so it is hardly a surprise that I enjoyed this fragrance, as well. It is an aromatic, woody scent that is meant to evoke the Mediterranean. Without sounding too cheesy, I find it fresh, yet scentual. It is also the least expensive and most accessible of the fragrances listed here (which probably means that you will have smelled it on some man in your life before). 50 mL for $60.00 at Sephora.com.

These are just three of thousands of scents that you could choose--just keep in mind that even though brands may market a particular fragrance as a men's scent, you definitely do not need to abide by those rules! Feel free to leave the world of sweet, floral, feminine fragrances behind and embrace more traditionally masculine scents.

1 comment:

Wonderful. Thank you for posting this. As a woman myself, I found Acqua Di Gio very lovely in the winter, so in the spring, I had to try Acqua Di Gioia. They're both absolutely wonderful. My preferred cologne is Versace Eros. Very musky, almost sweet and not too... chemical-y? Do you know what I mean? A must try for all women looking to try a new fragrance.